I’ve done a lot of reading since staying home with Annalyn. (And not nearly enough cleaning. Coincidence? Hmm…) As you know, I’ve started on my list of classics to read (by “started,” I mean I gave up on Pride & Prejudice but finished Catcher in the Rye in a couple days). But I’ve also found myself reading a lot of YA fiction. For the non-book-nerds, that’s young adult fiction.
How did this happen?
Well, it all started with Harry Potter. (I do wonder how many more interesting stories begin with that statement…) My friend Chelley has been harassing strongly encouraging me to read her favorite books for years now. Once I wasn’t heading to work every day, 700 pages of a young wizard seemed less overwhelming and more interesting. And, oh, I did LOVE the whole series! As in, I wish I hadn’t read it yet so I could read it all over again. LOVE.
Then I read – and loved – a book by Jenny B. Jones, a new (to me) author, only to find out that it was her only adult novel. She had, however, written several teen novels. And since I tend to devour Every Single Book by an author after discovering him or her, well, I basically had no choice.
Then a friend (or a blog post?) recommended Jackson Pearce, saying her book As You Wish was “what I wished Twilight would’ve been.” I can’t for the life of me remember who suggested that book, but I agree. It was a million times better than stupid Twilight! (Yes. I said it. Twilight was stupid.)
Then I found out Lisa Tawn Bergren had written a YA series that involves time travel. (And, as a big geek who loves things like time travel, I couldn’t very well resist that!) And then I finally read the first Hunger Games book, a mere eight months after Annie recommended it.
And considering I read both Waterfall (by Bergren) and Hunger Games in a span of two whole days, I’m realizing that perhaps I’ve got a new favorite thing. I didn’t even really need the confirmation of checking out Sisters Red (another Jackson Pearce book) yesterday. But I totally did it anyway (and read more than half of it before going to bed)!
[Update: “more than half” = ALL OF IT. And out of all these books, this one – unfortunately – is my least favorite.]
So, why do I love reading YA fiction so much? Could it be the combination of emotional struggles, vivid characters, honest dialogue and quality writing overall? Or . . . it is possible that I’m simply stuck at age 15, a teenager in disguise? Let’s go with quality writing (and ignore the fact that I also quite enjoy movies and TV shows about high schoolers), shall we?
Do you like reading YA books? What’s YOUR favorite genre to read?
This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries and Why I… at Vanderbilt Wife.
I absolutely love the Hunger Games series- they are filming the movie close to my house, and I am really wanting to crash the set and be an extra. But I think that’s a bad idea :) Ted Daschner {I think that’s how you spell his last name} has a series- The Maze Runner… AWESOME.
Somebody else suggested The Maze Runner. Guess I’d better add it to the to-read list!
I do love YA! I also just love reading and writing in general. I should learn more about YA and see if it is a niche I want to try to break into. Right now, I tend to write more chick lit (which I also love), so we shall see. Thanks for sharing these books! I might have to purchase them – after I finish reading the stack of 15+ books I have waiting for me at home.
I’m with you – YA is my favorite. I like them because they are usually quick reads, they are clean and “safe”. I read a couple of the Jenny B. Jones books from your recommendation and I enjoyed them. Thanks for the tip! You might like the Janette Rallison books – they are quick and entertaining.
I haven’t read current YA fiction. When I think of YA fiction I’m remembering books like “The Cat Ate My Gym Suit” from the 80’s. Whenever I find an old title like that on the swap rack at the library, I always take it home to enjoy a blast from the past. I am planning to read the Hunger Games, though, because I foresee it being on my son’s summer reading list in the next couple of years.
Good thinking, reading ahead of your son. And I definitely read The Cat Ate My Gym Suit!!!
I read a TON of YA books. I’d say that the bulk of my reading is YA. I like it because it deals with many of the same themes as adult novels, but they’re geared towards teens, so they’re clean – nothing in them that I wouldn’t want my kids to read. They’re also usually quick to read, which is good for my family because once I start a book, I tend to ignore everything else.
I love Shannon Hale. Princess Academy is an amazing book. Her Goose Girl series is fabulous, especially the first two. She also wrote Book of a Thousand Days, which I liked slightly less than the others (which means I really liked it since I LOVE the others!)
I haven’t read Hunger Games yet. But only because I have a stack of books I already own that I haven’t read yet. Once I get that stack down, then I’ll move on to the Hunger Games and others. I’ll have to check out the books you mentioned here…thanks for sharing!
Thanks for those suggestions! And, yes, I like the clean!
Growing up and in college/pre-kids life, my favorite genre was classical fiction {Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, etc}. Post kids? My brain can’t handle such details. And because of that, I’ve really loved young adult {hello, Harry Potter is a-maz-ing!}. I can read without having to use all my brain power and frankly, I just need that right now. ;)
Yes, I’ve found these YA books MUCH easier to process than Pride & Prejudice! Haha!
Woohoo! I love it when I can suck in another reader *insert cackling laugh*. Seriously, I, too have gone crazy for YA of late. Partially because YA has “grown up” and become quite sophisticated–allowing both adults and teens read the same books and discuss. Partially because the characters are poised on the edge of EVERYTHING–experience, drama, love, understanding, disappointment, triumph–and I love that reminder of that time in my life, and how I’m still not-so-jaded that I can’t feel it now, as a 44-year-old. Welcome to the YA club. And thanks for passing on the word about my new series!
Recently age 40-ish has been compared to reliving adolescence as we deal once again with body image insecurities, determine life goals, assess relationships, etc. I completely relate to that analysis and I’m a huge fan!
Maybe THAT’s my fascination with them!
I got Cascade in the mail today – woohoo! And you should know that I VERY rarely buy fiction. I’m a big library person, but I couldn’t wait that long and had to buy this one! :)
Thanks for the shoutout! Love, love, love YA. Really interested to see the movie adaptation of Hunger Games.
I just don’t know about the Hunger Games movie. While I don’t mind reading gross stuff, I’m a big baby when it comes to watching it on the screen!
I do read a fair amount of YA lit but I’ve needed a lot of convincing in the past. People recommended Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games for a long time before I finally broke down and inhaled the series. I’ve read a couple of other YA books or series that are enjoyable but wouldn’t necessarily recommend them to others. I will check out Jackson Pearce though!
That’s cool, I’m glad you enjoy those books. Must say I’m not the same, but I do love my Christian fiction novels or Christian living books. Good stuff. :)
I haven’t read non-fiction is quite a while…maybe I’ll make more of an effort to do so this summ!
These books may be a little younger than you would like but my son read the The Starcatcher Series and he wanted me to read it because I love Peter Pan and the little fairy with a “tude–Tinker his sidekick. The first book reads easy and for the most part the books are predictable but I enjoyed how they were tied to each with a the tried and true good vs. evil theme. Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson are the authors, The are four in the series. The Rundoon book was my favorite.
“I will never grow up!”
Thanks for the suggestions!!
I read lots of YA BOOKS. I read a lot in general, but with the YA books me and my daughter age 15 can share a hobby. We are always getting new books and sharing with each other. And as Amanda D. says they are “safe” I know the content isn’t going to be overly adult. We loved the Night World series by L. J. Smith and of course Twilight. the Modern Fairy Tails… I cant remember the author sorry but its a trilogy. Its a great genre and I am very happy to share it with my daughter.
If you haven’t read Jackson Pearce, you might like her, then. Her Sisters Red (and another book I haven’t read yet) are modern fairy tale stories!
Okay, seriously…you made it through Catcher in the Rye and NOT Pride and Prejudice??? Are you crazy? I couldn’t STAND Catcher in the Rye–for me it was just an excuse for someone to curse every other word and call in literature. UGH. If I hadn’t been forced to read it for a class, I would not have. But yes, I love YA fiction too… And YES, chelley was HARASSING you–or at least she harasses me! :-D
I didn’t ENJOY Catcher in the Rye, but it was a much easier read. I didn’t HATE P&P and really DO want to read it! I think I just wasn’t in the right mindset. I’ll probably try it again this summer!
I harass you for a reason! :P Did you hear how Mary said I was right and she loved HP? :) AND you write fantasy, for crying out loud! AND you’ve seen all the movies! Sigh. Not sure if you remember but a while back you had something on FB about taking the third letter in my name and finding a word that started with it to describe you. I was wishing my ‘C’ was an ‘S’ so that I could call you a squib. :P
I hated ‘Catcher in the Rye’ too. I remember having to do an oral book review for it (w/ Mr. Corey, remember those?) and having virtually nothing to say about it. Ugh. But I really couldn’t tell you what it was about now…
(Mary, I just love this post. For many obvious reasons.:)
Right down to Harry Potter being the first tag line. :)
I will read it! I promise! But see…now I’m scared. What if I really hate the writing style or something. That’s a lot of pressure! You will no longer be my friend and then what will I do???
You won’t hate it. Not if you like fantasy and the movies, silly! :P It’s YA, not like P&P, but you like Twilight which is YA, so it shouldn’t be a problem. You might say it was over-rated (I doubt it) or built up too much or something, but I really doubt you’ll hate it. If you DO… well, let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it, shall we? ;) Somehow I have a feeling I might be accompanying your family when I make my 3rd visit to HP World… ;)
My fave YA book is an oldie. The Education of Little Tree is one of my all-time favorite laugh/cry/don’t-want-it-to-end books.
But it’s definitely not time travel.
I don’t think I’ve heard of that one. I’ll have to look it up!